April 23, 2013

The Deadly Sisterhood by Leonie
Frieda is a look at eight fiercely fascinating women in history. Medieval women
are much more interesting than you may have thought, and this book is just the
step into history to see how much so.

Book
Description

“In an epic drama of love, death, and betrayal, Leonie
Frieda charts the rise and fall of the Italian Renaissance through the lives of
the princesses who helped shape it.

Mothers
of popes and wives of princes, the women who feature inThe Deadly Sisterhoodwere joined by birth, marriage, or
friendship, and all ruled for a time in the place of their dead or absent
menfolk. An intricate network of blood ties bound them together even as
passion, treachery, and greed set sister against sister. These were women who
were not afraid to wield the sword against their enemies in the murderous
struggles that dominated the Italian Peninsula in the fifteenth century. Each
experienced great riches, power, and the warm smile of fortune, but each also
knew banishment, imprisonment, poverty, attempts on her life, and the loss of a
husband or child.

Leonie Frieda brilliantly
reassesses the reputations of celebrated figures such as Isabella d'Este and
Lucrezia Borgia, while exposing the influence of neglected characters such as Isabella
d'Aragona and Clarice Orsini on the brutal dynastic conflicts of the fifteenth
century.

From
sleeping with the enemy to leading troops into battle,The Deadly Sisterhood explodes
the myth that Renaissance women were passive bystanders. Far from being
confined to patronage and piety, these women proved that as rulers,
politicians, warriors, and lovers they equaled—if not overshadowed—the men
whose power they shared.” – The
Deadly Sisterhood

My Thoughts

The Deadly
Sisterhood is a well-researched and written book about some very
interesting women in history. Each of the eight women featured have their
strengths and weaknesses that as a woman, I was able to relate with (even if
only in a very small way). Women’s roles were a lot different back then, but if
you thought that the women in history were all just submissive and fragile
people, you are quite wrong! These women were strong, powerful and very intelligent.

If you have an interest in history, in particular
women’s history, this is a book that you seriously need to read. It will give
you a different perspective of a woman’s role in medieval times, and perhaps
appreciate everything that we have gained since then.

* Thank you
to the publisher of The Deadly Sisterhood, Harper, for providing me with a copy
of this book for review. All opinions expressed are my own.

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